Grants are available to Churches and Christian community groups working to tackle poverty among people living in England's poorest communities. Our funding is primarily available through our Together Grants programme. For further information, click here.

www.bradfordcan.org.uk is the new website for free, local advice services in Bradford district – get help with debt, benefits, housing, employment rights, immigration and more. People in Bradford district now have a new and simple way to find free, local and independent advice charities. Community Advice Network advisers give face-to-face help in local communities across the Bradford District.

This new website helps people with benefits, tax credits, debt, housing, employment, immigration, consumer and related problems to get advice.

The new website helps in two ways:

1) It makes it easy to find face-to-face advice services, provided by local advice charities in communities across Bradford, Shipley and Keighley. On the home page, you choose the issue you want advice about by clicking on one of the icons – for example benefits. On the next page you find a search box where you enter your postcode. The website gives you a list of all the advice services in your postcode area, others in city/town centres in the district and some national helplines. When you click on one, the website gives you details of opening times, how to make contact and a map.

2) It gives quick links to trustworthy websites, by national charities like Citizens Advice and Shelter, and to other useful websites like Bradford Council and ACAS. On the home page, you choose the issue you want to find out more about by clicking on one of the icons – for example debt. On the next page you are given a list of common debt problems, such as rent arrears and credit cards. When you ‘choose this issue’ the next page gives you links that take you to reliable national websites. You can search on these website for more information so you can help yourself.

A new telephone adviceline has also been launched: 08442 451282. It helps people in two ways:

the person you speak to will listen to your problem, help you find the best local advice charity to deal with it and, wherever possible, make you an appointment to see an adviser

alternatively, they can give you details of local advice charities so that you can contact them yourself – and they can help you to find information online so you can deal with the problem yourself

Even if the line is busy, you will still get useful pre-recorded information and contact numbers for national telephone advice services, such as Consumer Direct.

We work to bring people together who are near neighbours in communities that are religiously and ethnically diverse, so that they can get to know each other better, build relationships of trust and collaborate together on initiatives that improve the local community they live in.

The Together Network aims to develop capacity for action at a local level, and to inform, inspire, resource and support local churches and organisations,as they work to address issues of social justice and relationships between communities.